• Hard Working Class Heroes 2015 – Friday

    October 6, 2015 - By 

    Fast forward through your own boring life and the cycle starts again. Another night of wall to wall quality music with the criminal schedule clashes an unfortunate reminder of the standard for the night. By 8pm the Mercantile is host to its first few shuffling visitors and Lie Ins fuzzy pop-rock. It’s comprehensive, bouncy stuff but maybe a little unexciting. However the room slowly fills and by the time Staring at Lakes overcome what seems to be a host of technical difficulties the place could almost be called busy. Despite the Mercantile venues shit wedding party charm, half a song…

  • 15 For ’15: Dear Desert

    January 20, 2015 - By 

    With two acts left to go, Dublin trio Dear Desert are next up in our 15 For ’15 feature, looking at fifteen Irish acts we’ve extremely high hopes for in 2015 and beyond. Make sure to check out the January/February issue of our magazine to read the whole feature in full-blown technicolour physicality. Words by David Turpin. Photo by Loreana Rushe. Dear Desert’s debut single ‘Give It Up’, released last June, intrigued with an alluring combination of suave melody and lo-fi production. The Dublin-based three-piece – made up of Richie Fenton, James O’Donnell and Brendan Miller – followed the track…

  • Fight Like Apes @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    December 22, 2014 - By 

    Fight Like Apes put on the Christmas gig to end ALL Christmas gigs on Saturday night in Whelans. The stage was covered in hay, a terrifying manger nestled under MayKay’s synths and a sparking green drum kit decorated like a Christmas tree.  Support on the night came from Dear Desert. Photos by Shaun Neary.

  • Gigs of the Week: Patrick Kelleher, Kab Driver, Dear Desert, Gifted, The Wedding Present, Radar

    November 4, 2014 - By 

    You’re looking well, you know that? Really well. Gym, is it? Cutting back on the soft drinks, was it? Walking to work in the morning, are we? But enough of the flirting: here’s our Gigs of the Week. Slick back that hair and get out there: much toe-tapping, gallivanting and/or wrecking the gaff awaits. New Natives: Patrick Kelleher, Bouts, Fangclub, Psychics @ The Grand Social, Dublin – Thursday, November 6 The humongously tasteful folks at New Natives will host a stellar four-act bill at Dublin’s Grand Social on Thursday night. Headlined by the inimitable and sorcerous Patrick Kelleher, the show will also features…

  • Inbound: Dear Desert

    June 19, 2014 - By 

    In this installment of Inbound – a feature introducing some of the country’s finest fast-rising musical talent – we chat to newly-formed Dublin-based band Dear Desert about how they got together, their influences and plans for the future. Hi guys. Can you tell us a bit about yourselves individually? Brendan: We are a Dublin based band but we all come from different parts of the country. We’re all working in Dublin and doing our best to make time to write and head to gigs. I work in music, so its easy to keep an ear out for new bands to see.…

  • Stream: Dear Desert – Give It Up

    June 13, 2014 - By 

    Comprised of Richie Fenon, James O’Donnell of Hush War Cry and Brendan Millar of Futures Apart, the band , new-fangled Dublin electro/indie-pop trio Dear Desert have unveiled their debut offering, ‘Give It Up’ – and what a resounding first offering it is. Conjuring the likes of Belfast band Go Wolf and The Radio Dept., the track betrays a real confidence and command that is often lacking from debut singles, the track’s lush amalgam of balmy synth lines, echoing beats and soulful vocals melding to deliver a subtly spellbinding four-minute track. Stream the track – produced by Darragh Nolan – via Soundcloud below.